Hallmark Security League Div 1 (South)
Saturday 23rd February 2019
In a game of 2 halves, as far as performance is concerned, the Old Boys turned a half time deficit into a comfortable win.
On a bumpy pitch it was Alsager who were the most positive from the start as Stone failed to get their football flowing and it was no surprise when they took the lead after 21mins. A good cross from the right was converted by their unmarked skipper Tom Brown. This seemed to boost the hosts even more and they would have increased their lead if it wasn’t for a combination of keeper Adam Alcock and Ollie Davies to clear the danger. Again Alcock was brought into action with another excellent save to restrict the visitors deficit to one goal at the break. The closest the Alleynians got to scoring was a Luke Askey header from a narrow angle.
Half Time:- Alsager Town 1 – 0 Stone Old Alleynians
I am not sure whether manager Matt Smith used the hairdryer treatment, or gentle persuasion at half time, but it worked. The Old Alleynians looked a completely different side in the second half and took the game to Alsager from the off. The pressure paid off after 56 mins, a good ball to left back Richard Hall was crossed in and volleyed home in spectacular fashion by Jake Vernon, from the edge of the area, giving home keeper Ben Cortes-Smith no chance.
The Old Boys came close to taking the lead a few minutes later, through good work by Askey on the left and his cross was volleyed narrowly over by the immaculate Kyle Blake. A free kick from Stone, on the right, was half cleared to Sam Wilson who gathered the ball and drifted past a Town defender only to be brought down just inside the area, for a stonewall penalty on 64 mins. Dave Ablewhite, on for Jack Tomlinson, placed the ball hard and low to Cortes-Smith’s right, giving him no chance and the Old Boys the lead. Alsager came close to scoring in one of their rare attacks.
A good cross from the right was finally scrambled clear by Stone and a another good chance was headed wide, as Town went for an equalizer. The match was as good as over by the 84 min however. A Vernon freekick smacked into the wall, only for the referee, to everyone’s surprise, awarded another penalty this time for hand ball. Ablewhite smashed the ball high into the top left hand corner as the keeper went the other way for his second conversion of the half.
FullTime:- Alsager Town 1 – 3 Stone Old Alleynians
Stone OA: Alcock, Byers, Hall, Heard( c), Davies, Askey, Vernon, Blake, Tomlinson(Ablewhite) Wilson(Williams), Thomas(Kapend)
Unused Subs: Whalley, Sinclair
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